A bicoastal matchup caps off this week’s ACC slate. Traveling all the way from Winston-Salem will be #21 Wake Forest (5-1, 3-1), one of the nation’s more underrated squads. The Demon Deacons have an opportunity to do some damage during the regular season’s second half. Standing in their way on Saturday will be Cal (3-3, 2-1), looking to pick up its third win at home. Can the Golden Bears pull off an upset tonight in Berkeley?
The Demon Deacons are listed as ten-point favorites over the Golden Bears, with the total set at O/U 53.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction and best bet for Saturday’s Wake Forest vs. Cal Week 7 matchup.
Wake Forest vs. Cal prediction, preview
Other than a forgivable defeat against #3 Miami, it’s been a near-perfect season for Wake Forest. Most impressive about this group, they’ve already reeled off three wins on the road. Each of those victories came against Power Four opponents as well. Quarterback Gio Lopez has been a terrific add out of the transfer portal. Through six games, the junior has thrown for 1,680 yards, 13 touchdowns and one interception. To boot, he’s also added 202 yards and six scores with his legs. As a unit, the Demon Deacons are averaging a respectable 4.24 yards per rush attempt. However, the headliner for this offense has to be Carlos Hernandez. The wideout is leading all ACC pass catchers with 49 receptions and 720 receiving yards. He was upgraded from questionable to probable during this week’s injury report.
Slowing opponents down on offense has proven difficult for Cal throughout the regular season. The school is allowing 365.7 yards per game to opponents, fifth-most in the ACC. If there’s a glimmer of hope, the secondary has been decent. Teams are only averaging 6.4 yards per pass attempt against the Golden Bears. In addition, California’s defensive backs have already snagged seven interceptions. Where things get dicey is on the ground; teams are churning out nearly five yards per carry vs. the Golden Bears. That’s not ideal against anyone, let alone an elite dual-threat quarterback such as Lopez.
On the other side, Cal will need solid play at quarterback. Starter Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has dealt with recent injury issues, sitting out during last week’s win over Virginia Tech. However, he’s currently listed as probable for this Saturday’s contest. The sophomore has an NFL-caliber skillset, but his statistics are somewhat lacking. Over five games, JKS has thrown for 1,180 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions. Granted, it’s not as if he’s had much help. The Golden Bears are averaging 3.26 rushing yards per game, second-fewest in the ACC.
The Demon Deacons aren’t the most intimidating opponent on defense. They’ve allowed 332.0 yards per game to opponents, only good enough for ninth in the conference. However, the team is only giving up 2.78 yards per carry. An already lackluster Cal run game may not have much room to operate. That puts added pressure on Sagapolutele following his two-week hiatus. It’s also worth noting that this Wake Forest defense has been playing better as of late. The Deacons have allowed a combined 17 points during their last two wins, against Stanford and North Carolina State.
Best Bet: Wake Forest -9.5 (-128)
There’s some real momentum building around this Wake Forest program. For tonight’s purposes, the team has plenty of experience when it comes to playing on the road. To boot, the Demon Deacons have a knack for shutting down the run game. Forcing Cal into leaning heavily on the banged-up Sagapolutele could make this offense one-dimensional. Keeping that in mind, expect a comfortable win for the visitors on Saturday night.
